In a post at the Marketing Minute, blogger Drew McLellan admits he gets some rather strange mail. "But I have to say," he notes, "chocolate-covered grasshoppers might just top the list." The unusual package arrived from Grasshopper.com, which provides integrated telephone services, and McLellan praises the company for a well-executed campaign that included these elements:

• The careful selection of 5,000 recipients—entrepreneurs, bloggers, celebrities, journalists and customers. "They spent 3 months assembling the list and made sure the packaging and cross-promotion (Twitter, YouTube, bloggers, their website, etc.) were all in order," he says.
• The wise use of FedEx, which meant no one at McLellan's office screened the package. "It actually got to my desk."
• A gift that was sure to prompt discussion and WOM. 

According to McLellan, he immediately took photographs because he knew he would blog about the grasshoppers. (For one thing, there is now an intra-office challenge to see who will pop one of the exotic treats into their mouth.) Best of all for Grasshopper.com, he not only blogged about the experience, he included an explanation of its services with a link to its website.

The Po!nt: Big breath. Now, bite. Even in a tough economy, a well-placed investment can pay good marketing dividends. "3-D mailings may cost a little more money," says McLellan, "but they deliver big results when they are done well."

Source: Drew's Marketing Minute. Read the full post here.

Check out our MarketingProfs case study on this campaign, Generating Serious B2B Buzz With Dead Bugs... and Video, from MarketingProfs staff writer Kim Smith. All of our case studies are free for Pro Members. (Upgrade today to get access to all of our Pro-only resources to make your job easier).

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